Nathaniel Bartlett's soundscapes at Eyedrum, Atlanta

Nathaniel Bartlett at Eyedrum

Atlanta's Eyedrum gallery is an eclectic arts venture in a downtown warehouse space, supported for the past twelve years mostly by gallant contributors who believe that even in hard times art -- and artists -- need a place to create and perform. While its struggles to remain solvent are ongoing, Eyedrum continues to present unique opportunities for artists of all disciplines.

Monday, September 13 Eyedrum will present a performance and talk by composer Nathaniel Bartlett. Bartlett uses a five-octave marimba with a 3-D sound field, in which the audience is seated in the center of an eight-chambered array of speakers. The marimba sounds are manipulated by a dual-display computer monitor that replaces the music stand, and fed through Bartlett's own audio set-up.

From his website: "a three-dimensional soundfield can be projected into the audience space, totally immersing the listeners. In my music the positioning and movement of sounds in physical space, resulting in kinetic audio sculptures, is a central musical parameter. The three-dimensional soundfield is enriched by the use of high-definition audio (superior to CD-quality audio), which allows for a significant increase in sonic nuances."

More can be read about Bartlett's work and collaborations on his website, as well as online at Eyedrum.

Abebooks' weird book room

Those wild, wild folks over at Abebooks UK are tossing everything into their weird book room, including the kitchen sink: it's a total mind-melt of the unique and bizarre ... and they want your suggestions, too. Hurry on over and suggest something, won't you?

Currently featured: Hellbent for Cooking, The Heavy-Metal Cookbook, by Annick "Morbid Chef" Giroux.

"What hors d'oeuvres are appropriate to serve with face-melting guitar riffs? When touring in a van crammed with men in tight leather and denim in a cloud of hairspray, sweat and (various kinds of) smoke, can one safely think outside the box with a risotto or a cassoulet, or is it better to stick to more traditional comfort foods? Is there an alcohol-free hot beverage one can whip up to soothe the raspy vocal cords of someone who spends their days screaming and growling for money?

If you've ever asked yourself any of those questions, then Hellbent for Cooking: The Heavy Metal Cookbook may be right up your alley. Full of recipes from everyone's favorite metal bands like Gwar, Obituary, Toxic Holocaust and more, these recipes are sure to totally wail. Warning: hair-nets not included."